Presidency’s response to Amidu smacks of ignorance – Kwesi Pratt

Managing Editor for the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, is worried about the display of ignorance in the Presidency’s response to the issues raised by the former Special Prosecutor in his resignation letter.

Martin Amidu last week resigned from his position as Special Prosecutor a position he held for the past two and a half years.

Kwesi Pratt Junior is worried about the display of ignorance in the Presidency’s response to the former Special Prosecutor’s issues raised in his resignation letter.

Martin Amidu last week resigned from his position as Special Prosecutor; a position he held for the past two and half years in Ghana.

In his resignation, the former Special Prosecutor drew the attention of the President and Ghanaians to the fact that he was not paid emoluments due to him nor that of his Deputy for the two years they worked in the office.

However, the Presidency in its response to the former Special prosecutor indicated that monies were made available to the office of the Special Prosecutor which were not even put to use by him and therefore there was no need for complaints.

The Presidency said all resources needed to ensure that the work of the Special Prosecutor was smooth were provided and therefore Martin Amidu had no course to complain.

But reacting to the position by the Presidency, Kwesi Pratt was worried that the highest office of the land will display such sheer ignorance.

According to him, monies allocated to the Office of the Special Prosecutor were not monies which he could have taken to pay his personal emolument and that of his Deputy because the monies were meant for capital expenditure.

“Mr Martin Amidu comes and says since he got his job he has not been paid then the office of the President comes and says but we gave you sixty million you should have taken some. Is that how we pay salaries in Ghana? Monies meant for capital expenditure can never under any circumstance be used to pay emoluments."

"There is a certain crime in Ghana called misappropriation of funds. Capital expenditure and recurrent expenditure we do not mix them. The Presidency does not know this and they come and say If we don’t pay you we have sent you some money so just take some. Is this where we have reached? My goodness is this the level where we have reached? My goodness,” he said.

He noted that the Presidency in its response also indicated that monies which were made available to the office of the Special prosecutor and were not used were allowed to be in the account of the office with some more added; something he believes is unconstitutional because monies which are not used are sent back to the consolidated fund.

Kwesi Pratt indicated that the country is currently in distress and from the response, one can tell that the people occupying the Presidency do not deserve to be there because their continuous existence there spells doom for the country.